


Old Town, Same Heart

by ElleKing27



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: Exes, F/F, Fluff, Getting Back Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28292775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleKing27/pseuds/ElleKing27
Summary: You were never prepared for this. Seeing her again after all these years.She’s still the same, but different. The same black hair. Her bangs are a bit longer. Her face a bit more mature. But it’s still her. Still Minjoo. And from her clothes, the same woman who wears big warm sweaters whenever it gets cold.But then she smiles and suddenly you're back to two years ago in this same place.You can't breathe. The scent of the flowers from back then fills your lungs."It’s,” she pauses, “It’s been a while.""It has."OrWhere Minjoo just does what her heart tells her to do, and maybe Chaewon should too.
Relationships: Kim Chaewon (IZONE)/Kim Minju
Comments: 10
Kudos: 141





	Old Town, Same Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!  
> 2020 has been a shit year so I thought I would give my version of a Christmas present to everyone :D
> 
> Have a safe holiday celebration and I hope you'll enjoy this little fluffy story about 2Kim!

//

It’s cold.

A bit obvious seeing that it’s winter and all, but you are absolutely freezing.

A few days back Eunbi had told you about a party she was going to hold. A nice party to unwind with friends before everyone inevitably goes back home for the holidays. Well, anyone that has a home to go back to at least. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have that privilege. You… used to have one.

But that’s in the past and right now it’s so cold that you swear your fingertips are going to fall off any second now. You’re more focused on other things. Mainly why isn’t this damn door opening. You've rang the bell 4 times by now and nobody has noticed yet. Although, you can’t blame them either. The music is so loud in that house you doubt anyone can hear anything at all.

Honestly, this is not what you thought of when Eunbi said she was going to throw a party. You thought of wine bottles, a cheese platter, and maybe some board games. You know, classy stuff. Maybe a bit nerdy but still classy. Not loud music and people grinding on each other—at least that’s what you vaguely see from behind the curtain windows. How many people are even in there?

You’re not complaining though. A bit unexpected, yes. But it’s still a party and you came here with one purpose anyway. Relieve stress. If the method to doing that is dancing with no inhibition instead of dunking on your friends at monopoly, then that’s exactly what you’re going to do. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but you will dance and get fucking drunk tonight.

The boss is getting more and more demanding nowadays that it’s hard to keep up. You should take a vacation sooner than later. The problem is where to go. There aren’t many viable places to go and nowhere near that you _would_ like to go. Well, you suppose there is a town. It’s an old town not that far from the city. A lot of memories there. Good ones.

One place, in particular, stands out from the rest.

A small beach at the edge of town. The waters were clear and the sands white. It’s located in an isolated part of the town and you would have to go past some woods to reach it. Not a lot of people know about that spot, which is why you hardly ever saw anyone there even when you visited it almost every day.

Although, you suppose there was one other person who was always there with you.

“Chaewon! Hey!” Your eyes leisurely look to the source of the voice. The door is wide open and a woman stands there.

“Eunbi.”

“When did you arrive?” She drags you inside and into the crowd. A slight flush to her face and a bottle of beer in her hand. It looks like she’s been drinking for some time now.

“A while and I’m freezing,” you snort. “I rang the bell like 4 times!”

“Why didn’t you just call me?” Eunbi laughs while dodging the crowd. “You can’t expect me to hear anything with the music this loud.”

“My phone died.”

“Oh, you wanna charge it in my room?” She asks while pointing to the stairs.

“Yeah.” You nod and both of you make your way upstairs. “What’s up with the party though?”

“What? Not to your taste?” She jokes.

“Did Yena talk to you into this?” You squint your eyes at her.

“She did suggest it,” Eunbi opens the door to her room, “but I thought it would be a nice change in pace, especially with the year ending soon.”

“Let loose, get crazy, and all that?” You immediately walk to her nightstand. You know exactly where her charger is.

“Exactly.”

Plugging in your phone, you remind yourself to get it before you leave tonight.

“You done?” She asks, leaning against your shoulder, peeking at your phone. Ever the curious one—or nosy in your opinion.

“Yeah, I’m d—”

Buzz. Buzz.

A notification comes from your phone. Alerting you about your upcoming anniversary three days from now. Oh, right. You forgot about it.

Quickly, you dismiss it and set it on the nightstand. You try to walk back to the hallways, but Eunbi’s stare keeps you in place. She saw it too and now she’s giving you _that_ look. Regret? Worry? Nostalgia? You’ve long received that look from her and yet you still don’t fully know what it means. You don’t ask.

“You’re still not over her,” she states simply as if it’s a fact.

“It’s not that deep. I just forgot to delete the reminder,” you shrug and walk out of the room. Faintly, you hear her sigh behind you. You hate how preceptive she is even when drunk.

“If you say so.”

Both of you quietly went back down the hall, only the muffled sound of loud music fills the space between you too. Once you’ve reached the stairs, Eunbi stops you with a hand. You prepare yourself for a lecture, warning, advice, whatever. You know you’re just going to ignore it again.

Yet against your expectations, she just gives you a suggestion. One you did not expect coming out from her. Chaeyeon maybe, but not her.

“Go back home for the holidays, Chae. And I don’t mean that shitty town where your parents live.” She gingerly holds your arm. “I’m talking about—”

“I know what you’re talking about.” How could you not?

“Then?”

“What happened to ‘moving on’?”

“You know I only said that so you could function normally.” She gives you a small smile. “So, you could be you again. Now that you’re back on your feet… I don’t see why not. It’s good to have closure.”

You don’t say anything back. Only staring at the bottom of the stairs.

“You can treat it as a vacation too. And,” a pause, “you don’t have to see her if you don’t want to.”

You stay silent.

“Just think about it, Chae.”

She goes down the stairs and you’re left up there thinking. A heavy sigh escapes you. This isn’t what you came here for. You came to relieve your stress and not think about _her_.

You’ve thought about it a lot these days, especially when work gives you more stress than usual. You would just think about the sandy beach under your toes and the warm breeze against your hair. All of it just a few hours’ drive away. Action never follows through. You don’t know why but you could never bring yourself to go back to that old town despite your fondness for it.

“Fuck,” you quietly swear.

This isn’t helping. You’re just going to think about this tomorrow or ignore it—whatever. You’re going to drink yourself half-blind tonight and nothing is going to stop you. Not Hitomi, Not Chaeyeon, and certainly not Eunbi. Maybe you should stick with Yena tonight. You’re almost a hundred percent sure that the only thing she’ll do is make you drink more.

You are going to have fun tonight and no one is going to ruin it.

//

The road is empty.

Only grass and trees covered in snow as far as your eyes could see. It’s peaceful. Tranquil. At a distance, rows of buildings are visible. Leaning against your car, you try to take in the sights. It’s pretty, but your mind wanders elsewhere. Taking a deep breath, a white mist rises.

You’re back here. The old town.

After the party three days ago, you had plenty of time to think about it. What Eunbi said wasn’t wrong. It’s good to have closure and you needed a break too. You still have your reservations but it’s good to go anyway.

Truthfully, you had actually decided to go here the day after the party. The next two days were spent mentally preparing yourself for this. You actually wanted to prepare more, preferably another week, but Yena had barged into your apartment and practically kicked you out.

_“I head from Eunbi and why the fuck are you still here? Get out! Shoo! I already called your boss for you!”_

Now, you’re here. Just outside of town. Taking in the sights that you had missed dearly.

But you haven’t gotten the courage to go into town just yet. It’s now that you’re here and the town is in front of you that you realize why you have been so reluctant to visit all these years.

It’s fear.

You’re afraid. You’re afraid that maybe it isn’t as great or beautiful as you remember. Maybe you had been blinded by rose-tinted lenses back then. Maybe it’ll start to hurt once you reminisce your memories with her because she isn’t here anymore. Not by your side at least.

The sun starts to set as the short winter day is coming to a close. You’ve been dilly-dallying for far too long. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to go into town.

Reluctantly, you go back inside your car and start the engine. You sigh. Come on, Kim Chaewon. You’ve come all the way out here. You should at least see it through the end.

With an anxious heart, you drive.

//

It’s a strange feeling.

As you drive through the town, you notice something. It’s still the same. All the streets, shops, and restaurants. All of it is still the same. It makes sense. After all, how much can a small old town change in two years? But it still feels strange. As if you’ve gone back in time.

You’ll have to admit, however. It’s a reassuring sight.

Stopping by an old motel, you check in with the receptionist. A bright neon sign with broken lights in front that just plainly says “Motel”. It’s an old building, just like any other in this town. Unlike the others, this one isn’t as properly maintained. The town barely has any visitors, and if there are any, then it’s usually a relative or a friend of a local so they don’t stay at the motel. Regardless, this is going to be where you’re staying for a few weeks until new years—or until you can’t take it anymore and go back to your apartment.

Leaving your luggage there, you set out again. You don’t have a particular destination. You’re just planning on driving around town until you get hungry enough for dinner. Speaking of dinner, you should probably decide where you’re going to eat.

The sun is no longer visible and the sky turns dark. Various lights including Christmas decorations start to light up one by one.

And as you aimlessly drive around, you spot a familiar house.

Your house. At least, it used to be.

Against your better judgment, you stop in front of it. Should you knock on the door? It’s—it’s the whole purpose of this whole thing, isn’t it? Visit her and get some closure? But isn’t it a tad too fast? After all, you just came here. Maybe you should come again tomorrow or even the day after that or whenever. You probably shouldn’t visit on Christmas day though. She probably wouldn’t want you to bother her then.

Yet something tells you that if you don’t do it now, you’ll never do it.

“Ugh,” you groan loudly in your car before taking a big breath. “Fuck it.”

You turn off the engine and get out of your car. Kim Chaewon, you are going there and you are going to talk to your ex. It’s not like it’s a big deal or anything. You didn't even part with her too horribly. In fact, it's probably safe to say that you are friends with her. Kind of. Friends who haven't spoken to each other in years are still friends, right?

Maybe not.

But for all intents and purposes, you don't have a bad relationship with her at all. At least, what remains of it. You just feel... awkward, for the lack of a better word.

What do you say to her? Hello? How have you been doing? Did you date someone else after me? Is it okay if I couldn't get over you after all of these years?

...Let’s stick to the first two questions.

Walking up the driveway, you prepare yourself to knock on her door. Deep breath, Kim Chaewon. You can do this. You raise your hand and it’s then that you’re painfully aware of today’s date. It’s your fucking anniversary with her and you’re visiting her?

Are you out of your mind?

This is a bad idea and you should just go back to the motel. Holy shit, you almost made a mistake.

But just as you turned around, you hear a meow. It’s small, quiet, and muffled. You turn around and come face to face with Hyuji, the white cat you used to own. As happy as you are to see him again after all this time, you are _panicking_ and, oh my god, Hyuji, stop meowing! If you can hear his meows outside, then you can just imagine how loud he is inside. Hyuji, stop scratching on the window! She’s going to know there’s someone outside and—

“Hyuji? What are you doing?”

Your heart practically free falls down from a fifty-story building, and wow, you did not think it was possible for your hands to get this sweaty this quickly. Fuck, what do you do now? Do you hide? Run back to the car? Or do you stay and _actually_ talk to her? What are you talking about that ridiculous! You should just go back to the car like your original plan. Yeah, that’s what you’re going to do. A solid plan. A full-proof plan! A plan that—

A click and then fast tiny footsteps in the snow, Hyuji jumps up to you while still meowing loudly. Luckily you manage to catch him without getting stumbled.

“Hyuji! What if I fell down?” You scold the white cloud in your arms, but he doesn’t seem all too bothered. He rubs his face against yours while purring loudly. You can’t stay mad at the little guy. You smile and scratch his favorite spot. “I missed you too.”

But then you hear a voice. One that you haven’t heard in a long time.

“Chaewon?”

Your eyes snap towards her. It’s her. It’s really her.

“Hey, Min,” you say softly. Her nickname flowing out of you naturally.

You were never prepared for this. Seeing her again after all these years.

She’s still the same, but different. The same black hair. Her bangs are a bit longer. Her face a bit more mature. But it’s still her. Still Minjoo. And from her clothes, the same woman who wears big warm sweaters whenever it gets cold.

But then she smiles and suddenly you're back to two years ago in this same place.

You can't breathe. The scent of the flowers from back then fills your lungs.

"It’s,” she pauses, “It’s been a while."

"It has." 

She walks a bit closer to you. "How have you been?"

"I've been... okay. What about you?"

“I’ve also been okay. So, um, what’s the occasion?” She hesitantly asks.

“Oh, I was just in town and I thought I should probably visit.” You shrug, trying so hard to look nonchalant when, really, your heart is beating a hundred kilometers per hour. Bah, who are you kidding? It’s Minjoo. She knows you better than you know yourself. She probably knows how nervous you are right now.

“Probably?”

“Well, I—I don’t know if you would welcome it. Seeing me again, I mean,” you admit.

“It’s certainly unexpected, but it’s nice to see you again,” she reassures you. “Besides, you’re always welcome in this house as you can see.” She looks at Hyuji and you let out a small chuckle.

“And people say cats don’t have a heart.” You pet Hyuji lovingly just like how he deserves it.

“Clearly they’re wrong.” She gestures to the door. “Want to go in? It’s getting a bit cold out here.”

“Oh! Yeah, right, sorry.” You put down Hyuji on the snow and he follows Minjoo to the door. Taking off your coat, you give it to her. “Here.”

She looks at you a bit confused and you realize what you’re doing. You can just feel the blush going up your neck. Oh, god, this is embarrassing.

“Sorry, it was reflex.” You rub your neck and look away. “You usually get cold and I—look, some habits are hard to die, okay?”

“Okay,” she chuckles. To your surprise, however, she takes your coat and puts it on even though there are literally only three more steps till the front door. “Thanks, Chae.”

She says your name the same way she always did. As if we just continued from that day in March. As if all those years apart didn't exist. Without you realizing it, your hands ball up tightly.

“So, are you here for vacation or…?” She asks after closing the door behind you.

“Vacation. Eunbi told me to ‘go back home for the holidays’,” you explained. “So here I am.”

“Home, huh?” She says while taking off your coat.

“Yeah.”

You stop in the middle of the living room. There are a few things in this room that are new to you, but it’s largely still the same. You’re struck by that feeling again. This time, however, there’s an associated pain with it.

“Where are you staying?”

“At the motel,” you say before walking towards Minjoo’s wall of memories. She was always so passionate about photography and this is where she displays her most precious pictures. She insisted that you contribute too. You were never good at taking photos, but you tried anyway for her. Only wonky and slightly blurry pictures of Hyuji and Minjoo are a testament to your contribution. “You kept my pictures up?”

“It’s a wall of memories, and those are memories so why should I take them down?” She stands next to you as you continue to observe the pictures. You spot some new ones too and you spot the ones with you in them.

“But aren’t they…”

“Aren’t they?”

“I don’t know. Painful memories?” you quietly ask her.

“Chaewon,” you turn to look at her. Slightly afraid of her response. But she just smiles. One hand touching the back of yours. “We had our ups and downs, but believe me when I say that I treasure every moment I had spent with you.”

“You-You're lying.” That can’t be possible. Even when we were fighting with each other? Even when we were on the phone arguing because you wouldn’t be back home until another week? Even then? That—that just seems impossible.

“I’m not though!” She laughs. “This whole wall is proof of that.”

“I’m still not buying it.”

“You’re going to be here for a while, right? Then I’ll keep proving you wrong until you believe me.” She looks so confident that it makes you think that she will succeed. You still doubt it though.

It doesn’t escape your attention to what that statement implies either. You suppose you’ll be seeing a lot of Minjoo in the next few weeks. Strangely, you feel a bit excited at the proposition instead of the dread you felt earlier.

“Try it if you can,” you snort.

“You talk as if I hadn’t convinced you of crazier things in the past.” She grins.

“Such as?”

“The fact that our librarian is actually secretly a vigilante and the one who beat the jerks that came to town that one week?”

“Okay, first of all, Nako is fucking buff. That tiny body could bench-press me without breaking a sweat.”

“And what about the time I convinced you that Mrs. Lee is having an affair with the dumpster guy?” She raises an eyebrow at you.

“Because that makes sense, Minjoo? I’m gay but even I can see the dumpster guy is handsome and the fact that Mr. Lee is a dick.”

“Then what about the fact that the mysterious motel manager is actually the seventeen-year-old across the street?”

“Wait—wait a second, Yujin is seventeen now? What the heck? Time really flies.”

“Oh, yeah, you should see how tall she is now—wait, that’s not the point. The point is that I made you believe that Yujin could be the motel manager and thus—Oh my god! The motel!” She suddenly exclaims and you raise an eyebrow at her.

“What about the motel?”

“You’re staying there!” Her face full of shock.

“And?” You are very much confused here. “It’s not like Yujin will do something to me. That kid just loves money.”

“No, you don’t get it!”

“Get what?”

“You can’t stay at that motel.” She frowns. “That thing can practically break down with just a flick of a finger!”

“What? No, it’s fine, Min. It’s a bit old but I can manage.” You try to reassure her but it doesn’t work. She’s already wearing your coat again and walking towards the front door.

“No, no, no, I am _not_ letting you stay at that dusty old motel. Not with your allergies, Chae.” She opens the door and waits for you to walk to her. “We are going to get your stuff and you are staying here and that is final.”

You would say more, but you know better than to argue with a stubborn Kim Minjoo. You roll your eyes playfully before getting out your car keys.

Both of you walk to your car and Minjoo opens the door for you.

“Ladies first.” A dorky grin on her face.

“We’re both ladies, Minjoo.”

“We didn’t let that stop us, did we?” She quips back and you can’t help but laugh.

“No, we certainly didn’t.” You step inside the car, and before she could close it, you quip back. “Dork.”

“Hey, you almost married this dork.” She laughs before closing the door.

“And I would do it again.” You whisper to yourself as you watch her hop her way into the passenger’s seat. So much for closure. The things you’re feeling right now are the same feelings you had for her all those years ago. They never left.

There’s this small voice in the back of your head. Yelling and screaming that this is a bad idea. Everything that has to do with Minjoo. You’re going to fall in love with her again. You just know it. And you’re going to leave this town with another broken heart.

But you decidedly ignore it.

You haven’t seen her for so long and you just want to be with her. In her presence. You miss her a lot.

The heart wants what the heart wants.

You’ll deal with the pain later. For now, you just want to spend time with her.

As Minjoo settles in her seat, you’re reminded of all the countless trips both of you had in this car. Whether it’s to the supermarket, to the city, or for a long night drive.

“You ready?” You ask her. As you’ve always asked her.

“Aye, aye, captain.” And she replies as she always has.

You chuckle before driving away from her house and back to the motel. Along the drive, both of you catch up with each other. The things that happened after we separated. Apparently, she finally opened the café that she’s been dreaming about ever since you first met her. It’s in a small place on the corner of the town plaza. She says that a lot of people come to the café. Mostly it’s people she knows, but that’s what happens when you open a café in a small town.

There’s also a new family in town. They had moved in last year in the summer. A young couple with one daughter. The daughter’s name is Wonyoung, and from what you hear from Minjoo, Yujin has been making the moves on the girl.

“Young love.” Minjoo sighs dramatically. “So pure. So innocent.”

You snort in response.

“You talk as if you never experience the ‘young love’.”

She laughs.

“I’m just saying I miss it is all. To be in love with reckless abandon. That exciting period of ‘do they like me back or not?’ and awkward interactions.” She pauses to think. “Okay, maybe I could do without the last bit.”

“What? Was it really that bad?” You ask while turning the corner.

“You mean your period of teasing excessively because you didn’t know how to express your feelings towards me?”

Your ears become red and give her the stink eye.

“We will _not_ talk about that period in my life.”

“Aw, but it was cute though!”

“May I remind you of the gift you gave on valentine’s—”

“AHEM!” She coughs loudly. You’re not looking at her but you can imagine her flush cheeks. “I won’t talk about your tsundere period if you don’t talk about that, deal?”

“Deal.”

“You gotta pinky promise it, Chae!” She holds out her pinky finger to you. Coming at a red light, you intertwine your pinky with hers.

“Happy?” You snort.

“Very.”

Arriving at the motel, you both go in to get your luggage back. Nicely enough, the motel gave you your money back. You still had to pay today’s fee but that’s still a great deal in your opinion. On your way out, however, both of you run into a certain seventeen-year-old that may or may not be the manager of the town’s only motel. You mentally add this to your list of suspicions.

“Oh my god, Aunty Chae is that you?” Yujin gasps.

“I’m pretty sure I told you to stop calling me that before. I’m not that old you know.”

“You’re old for me!” She happily says while hugging you tight. Minjoo laughs from beside you and you glare at her. She needs to stop laughing and start helping you because you are kind of suffocating here. God damn, Yujin is strong.

“Kid, kid, I can’t breathe.” You tap her arm repeatedly.

“Oops, sorry about that.” She releases you from her grasp.

“Also, what was that about being old?” You glare at her playfully.

“I’m not too sure what you’re talking about though?” She grins and you roll your eyes.

“Wonyoung won’t like you if you keep being like that, kid.”

“WHAT—I—I mean,” she takes a deep breath and you can see how much of an effect Wonyoung has on Yujin. You haven’t met her yet, but you think she must be pretty amazing to get this brat wrapped around her finger. “How—how do you know about that?”

“Minjoo told me,” you simply say and Yujin looks back and forth between you two. “What?”

“So, uh, are you two getting back together or…?” There’s this shitty grin on her face and Yujin really needs to be grateful for the fact that she’s still a kid and you can’t punch her in the face because of that. You just met her again and she’s already starting shit up.

Some people just never change, huh? Nice to know that the brat is still a brat.

“Yuu?” Minjoo calls out to her. She’s smiling but you know that she is, in fact, not smiling on the inside. “If you don’t want Wonyoung knowing you wrote a poem about her, then you better start running.”

Yujin’s eyes immediately widen and start apologizing wildly before running away like an Olympian. Minjoo huffs.

“I swear to god that kid sometimes just….”

“Annoying as fuck?”

“I was about to say mischievous but that works too.” She snorts. You shake your head and start walking back to your car with your luggage in tow.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

Opening the trunk, you set your luggage back in. Good thing you didn’t start unpacking when you arrived here earlier or this would’ve taken much longer. With a thud, you close the trunk back down and walk to the driver’s seat. But then you realize Minjoo hasn’t moved from her spot yet. A weird look on her face. 

“Min?”

She lets out a small chuckle.

“What’s wrong?” You ask her, confused.

“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go back home.”

“Well, get your but here then. I don’t know about you but I certainly don’t want to be standing around out in the cold.”

“Ah, but the cold will only make you appreciate warmth better.”

“Stop it with your poetic side,” you say amused. “In case you haven’t realized, you’re still wearing my coat.”

“All right, all right, I’m going.”

“Finally, I thought I was going to die of old age.” You roll your eyes, the smile on your face only grows bigger when she dramatically opens the door.

“Would that really be a bad thing?” She leans against the door frame. “Growing old with me.”

The question throws you off. Is—Is she flirting with you? Or is your brain starting to pull tricks on you because your heart bribed it with endorphins? You’re not too sure, and honestly, you’re not too sure if you care either. You’re here to enjoy the moment and not think of complicated stuff so you’re going to do just that.

“I suppose not,” you reply and her smile widens to a grin.

Minjoo ducks into the passenger seat and you follow soon after.

The ride back home was a lot quieter than before. Minjoo still gives you updates every now and then whenever we pass by something that has changed after you left. Otherwise, the only noise in the car is the sound of the radio playing jazz. You don’t particularly like jazz but it’s the only channel that _isn’t_ playing Christmas music 24/7. Also, you think it sort of fits the mood anyway.

“You know,” Minjoo starts. “I was thinking of you today.”

“You were?” You ask, slightly surprised.

“Yeah, today would’ve been our anniversary so I just… thought of you.” She pauses for a second. “I was thinking about how you were doing. In fact, I was about to text you when Hyuji starting meowing like crazy.”

“Huh. That’s…”

“And then you showed up. At the front door, holding our little baby like you never left.”

You want to turn and look at her. You really do. But you’re driving right now and that’s not exactly safe. The last thing you want to do is to get both of us into a car accident. So, you do the sensible thing. Find the closest place you could park. It just so happens to be the diner you and Minjoo often frequent.

“Do you know how I felt when I saw you?” She asks.

You turn to look at her and you can just feel your chest tightening. You can’t breathe again. Minjoo always leaves you breathless though. You were used to it before. It seems like you’ll have to learn how to do it again if you don’t want the air to be knocked out of you every single time.

She looks at you like she did two years ago and the years before that. With adoration and—

Before you could reply to her, she starts talking again.

“I was really happy you know? You were there! In real life! Not in a screen or a picture frame.” She softly laughs. “I missed you a lot, Chae.”

For all of the two hours you were with Minjoo today, you weren’t really prepared for this. Minjoo? Missing _you_? For all that you’ve done to her? For all that you couldn’t? You feel like you don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve her. Not then. Not now.

You feel a familiar stinging from the back of your eye. God fucking damn it, you are _not_ about to cry in front of her.

“I missed you too.” A shaky laugh. Your voice so close to cracking. “I really did.”

“You did?”

“Minjoo,” you wonder if you can touch her. You wonder if you're allowed after all these years. You take her hand anyway. You can't help it. “The moment I stop missing you is the moment I’m six-feet underground.”

“You’re missing me even now? Even though I’m next to you?”

“You’re next to me, but you’re not with me, are you?” You smile sadly at her.

“Chaewon—”

“Let’s go get something to eat before going back.”

Quickly, you let go of her hand and open the car door. You can’t be so close to her right now. You can’t. Getting out, you walk into the diner and go to the counter. Mindlessly looking at the menu. Nothing registers in your brain though.

A sigh.

You should probably order something before the staff there think you’re weird.

“Hello! Would you like to eat here or take out?” An excited voice sounds in front of you. A young boy in his early teens.

“Um, take out please.”

“Okay, and what can I get you?”

“Uhhh, I’ll take the….” Damn, what did you used to order here again? You would’ve been able to remember it if your head wasn’t such a mess right now.

“She’ll take a turkey sandwich and I’ll have the roasted chicken with gravy.” She says behind you.

“Alrighty then! Will you pay with card or cash?”

“Card,” you say while quickly handing him your credit card. You know for a fact that Minjoo will try to pay if you don’t act fast enough.

“All done! Your order will be done in a few minutes. You can sit anywhere you like while waiting.”

“All right, thank you.”

“Have a nice day!”

Well, you hope you will. It’s been nice so far but who knows? Maybe it will if don’t break down in front of her.

Minjoo is already sitting at the booth both of you usually sit. You slide in to sit in front of her. You still can’t bring yourself to look at her though. Preferring to look outside instead.

“You didn’t order the pancakes?” You ask her in faux nonchalant. There wasn’t a time when she wouldn’t order pancakes in this diner.

“No, I’m trying to eat a bit healthier.” She smiles. “Though I still eat it once in a while.”

She's changed.

Then again, you've changed too. You hope it’s for the better, but you’re not too sure about that.

“Chaewon.”

“Hm?”

“I,” she hesitates before sighing. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“Okay.”

//

The two of you stay quiet after that. Even in the car ride back home and even when she helped you unpack your luggage. You’re staying in the guest room of course. You can’t exactly use your old room when it’s the same room as Minjoo’s.

It feels weird to be here. In this room.

You’ve had plenty of your friends stay here while they were visiting before, yet you’ve never really _been_ in here, much less sleep here. As you lie down on that bed, you’re overcome with a certain emotion. It feels like you’re not supposed to be here. This isn’t your place. Everything feels so unfamiliar and strange despite being in the house that you’re oh so familiar with.

You lived here for more than five years and you’ve never felt this before. Not until now.

Maybe it’s because of your situation with Minjoo—if you could even call it that. Or maybe it’s because you’ve never spent such a long time in the guest bedroom.

The only thing that’s familiar to you is Hyuji who’s currently curled up next to you. Mindlessly, you keep petting the baby. He must’ve missed you a lot.

Diner had been eaten earlier. Both of you weren’t as quiet then. Probably because both of you wanted to avoid the awkward atmosphere. Because you two also wanted to ignore the big elephant in the room, your conversations were mostly about your friends. She asks how Eunbi and the rest are doing and you ask about Yuri and everyone else in the town.

After dinner, however, you immediately went back into the guest room. You could see that Minjoo had something to say, and truth be told, you’re fucking scared of what she’s going to say. You would rather avoid it as much as you can.

It’s been several hours since dinner, close to midnight, and you’re hungry again. Which means you should probably go to the kitchen. But that would mean possibly running into Minjoo.

Maybe you should starve for tonight. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

_Growl._

Okay, damn! Sheesh! Such a needy stomach! You really couldn’t wait till morning for more food? Really? Ugh, fine. You’ll make the god damn sandwich. Jesus.

If you run into Minjoo and it turns awkward, you’re blaming your stomach.

Standing up from the bed, you’re careful not to wake Hyuji up. Quietly walking out of the guest bedroom, you make your way to the kitchen and open the fridge. You look for your leftovers. A sigh involuntarily comes out of your mouth. You should really face Minjoo sooner than later. It’s not like she’s going to say anything unexpected. It’s probably something like “I already moved on from you, Chaewon. I’m sorry.” Or “I already have someone new that I love.”

It’s better to quickly rip off the band-aid, isn’t it? Remember, you’re here for closure like Eunbi said. Not trying to renew your dead relationship with Minjoo.

Oh, how the tables have turned compared to earlier when you first met with Minjoo.

Another sigh. You don't feel like eating anymore. You close the fridge.

"No appetite?"

You jump a bit in surprise, not expecting another person to be there. You turn around and Minjoo is leaning against the countertop with another one of her fluffy big sweaters. Pajama edition this time.

“No, not really.” You walk over to the glasses in the cabinets. Maybe your stomach will be satisfied with water. You highly doubt it, but you try anyway.

“Can we talk?”

The dreaded question has finally come. You set your glass down and ready yourself.

“Sure, what is it?”

“You know what it’s about.” She walks closer to you. Suddenly you’re very aware of the shampoo she used earlier. God fucking jasmine. It never lets you think clearly.

“The… thing earlier?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know what else you want to say about it.”

“You know how I said earlier about how I would prove to you that I treasured every moment with you? Even the bad ones?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, let me prove it to you right now.” She takes hold of your hand and you let her. “Do you remember? That one night after one of our worst arguments? The one we had because you couldn’t go back home and had to stay in the city?”

You nod.

“I remember. I had blown our date because of work before that too. And countless of times before and after too.” You frown. Minjoo only deserves the best. This is why you could never deserve her.

“Well, do you remember what you did after that night?”

“Uh, no, not really.” Did you do something noteworthy after that? You could only think about the other numerous amounts of times you had ignored her because of work. That company you had worked for was a shit one. Thank god you left it a long time ago.

“You had ordered me take-out all the way from the city. The poor driver had to drive all the way to this small town and to our house. The delivery cost should’ve been enormous, but you didn’t complain or say anything about it. All because I mentioned a few days before that I was craving some Thai food.”

“Well, yeah.” You don’t understand what’s so special about that. You do that for her all the time back then.

“Even when we were fighting with each other. Even when you were angry with me. You never stopped caring, Chae. You never stopped loving me. Even for a moment.” She steps a bit closer. Holds your hands a bit tighter. And her eyes tender. “Do you understand why I loved every moment with you? Why I still have your pictures up on my wall? Why I was so happy to see you again?”

“I—”

“Why I’m still in love with you?”

Of all the things you had expected, this was the last thing you thought Minjoo would ever say. Honestly, it’s also the phrase that scares you the most. Why is she in love with you? Why you? Just… why? You don’t—you don’t deserve her.

“Don’t say that.” She rubs the tears away from your eyes. Damn it, since when did you start crying. Since when did you start saying all of your insecurities to her with abandon. And since when did she get so close to you.

“But I—”

“Yes, you do, Chae. Have I ever made you feel like you weren’t enough?”

“No, never.” You shake your head.

“Look, Chaewon. You might not be perfect, but you’re perfect for me. You’re enough. You’re all I ever wanted and more.” She’s desperate. You can see it in her eyes. In the way that she’s holding on to you. It’s then when it finally clicks in your mind. She needs you as much as you need her. “I was fine without you. And I’m sure you were fine without me. But you can’t deny how lonely we felt. How I felt.”

You hold her hand. The one that’s gingerly holding your face.

“I still love you too.” You admit. “I never stopped.”

“Neither did I.” Minjoo replies.

She softly rests her forehead against yours and you feel it again. The scent of those flowers in spring. We had started dating in Winter, gotten engaged in Summer, and moved into our house in Autumn. But we fell in love in spring. You can feel the spring flowers filling your lungs once again.

“Can we start again?” She asks you softly. “Can I love you again?”

“Only if you’ll take someone like me.” You laugh with tears in your eyes.

“It’s because it’s you that I’m in love.” She smiles. “Can I…?”

You nod and she kisses you.

Oh, how you’ve missed this. Missed her. 

You’re finally back home.

//

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you thought about the story in the comments below!  
> It helps to motivate me to write my next story lmao


End file.
